THE AMERICAN COMMISSION ON CONDITIONS IN IRELAND

New Zealand Tablet, 13 October 1921, Page 7

THE AMERICAN COMMISSION ON CONDITIONS IN IRELAND

INTERIM REPORT

(Continued from last week.) CHAPTER VI. Moral Consequences to the Imperial British Forces The Imperial British Soldier It would appear to your Commission that the official campaign of murder, arson, and repression has had an unfortunate effect upon the moral fibre of "the forces engaged in it. Lord Mayor O'Callaghan and others testified that it has been' fashionable' for the soldiers and police, careering through the cities and villages, to hang over the sides of the lorries, their rifles pointed at the passers-by. Apart from any deliberate intention to shoot the citizenry, this bullying practice would seem to us contrary to British tradition. Deaths result from it. And sometimes these deaths seem scarcely accidental. Wanton Murder. —Mr. Broderick, of Chicago, was in Abbeyfeale when a passing "Black-and-Tan" killed two boys leading their cows to pasture. The shooting of Mrs. •Quinn, an expectant mother, we mention, but refrain from discussing because it was deplored by British authority.* Numerous examples of wanton slaying or wounding were brought before us, including the shooting even of dumb animals, dogs, and cattle. Depravity.—At the sack of Balbriggan, according to the testimony of Mr. John Derhamj one of the places burned was a dairy run by Mrs. Cochran. When the raiders entered, Mrs. Cochran ran into the yard leaving behind her two little boys of ten and twelve years. The Imperial "police" made the boys dress and took them

through the house to witness the smashing of household effects. After this sport, they led the children down the street "to see Derham's house afire." Then they took them back to their own yard and told them to sit on a hay rick there "to warm themselves." The "police" thereupon poured petrol over the rick and set fire to it, and then burned down • the ' Cochran house. Flogging.—The degrading effect of their duty upon the criminally-minded among the Imperial British forces has led to innumerable assaults upon priests, women, children, and the aged. Miss Anna Walsh- testified that pedestrians had come running into her store at Cork to escape from "Black-and-Tans" who were scourging the passersby. In Queenstown, John Charles Clarke, an American, witnessed the flogging, to the effusion of blood, of Irish citizens by a khaki-clad person. Thomas Nolan testified that from the house he stayed at in Galway a young man was taken out by soldiers and flogged. And an editorial from the Manchester Guardian of October 19, 1920, was placed in evidence concerning the stripping and flogging by uniformed British soldiers of more than a score of the villagers of Corofin and Cummer in Galway. Thieving.—Besides encouraging brutality, the "duties" of the Imperial British forces in Ireland seem destructive, of British honesty. The testimony before us shows that for some time thieving has been a common activity of the British forces in Ireland. Daniel J. Broderick (American) testified to seeing three "Black-and-Tans" help themselves to liquors, cigarettes, and food in a public house kept by a widow, a Mrs. Macauley, 'in Abbeyfeale. "They told the woman, as they left, that she should be glad they did not take the till." John Derham, Town Councillor of Balbriggan, in his testimony on the wrecking of that town by the police, stated: - Pillage.—" Two grocery stores they looted and razed; threw the tea,and sugar and soap and candles, and everything, on the floor about three feet high; trampled over ■it: and pulled things out in the passage to destroy what they did not set fire to." Looting.—Lord Mayor O'Callaghan testified that houses raided were commonly looted. In Cork he stated that from the beginning of the year up to Deoember 10, 1920, apart from places absolutely destroyed, "at a very moderate estimate" fifty establishments had been attacked and looted by the Imperial forces. Miss Susanna Walsh testified that a few days after Lord Mayor Mac Curtain's death his business establishment was looted by the military. Transporting Loot. —The prevalence of this practice would almost seem to indicate that it was not discouraged by those in authority. Indeed, the looters sometimes arrived provided with vehicles to transport their spoil, and onenlv carry it off. Miss Craven testified to the looting of Michael Walsh's house and shop at Galway by raiders a few .nights before he was murdered. "They destroyed 'practically everything. They had lorries outside, and they took the tobacco and cigarettes and sugar and candles and different things like that. They also took the liquors." The loot was occasionally a perquisite of murder. Thomas Nolan, of Galway. who was with Walsh the night bp was killed, testified that some of the men.who took Walsh away came back to the murdered man's home and made off with Walsh's overcoat and a liberal supply of cigarettes. Sean Courtnev, of Cork, sent a sworn statement that his bouse was raided at 2 a.m. on October 28, 1920. He was dragged out by men who threatened to kill him. When he was allowed to go he returned to his home and found it had been looted. Silver and household articles had'disappeared. In the following instance, an" officer interrogated the householder while his men removed her goods. Mrs. Eamon Coughlin, of Cork; wife of Alderman Coiighlin, made a sworn statement of a raid on her home and shop by the military at 4.45 a.m.. November 27, 1920. "T found the following goods missing, looted, of course", by his companions downstairs while the leader was questioning me: About £2O to £25 worth of cicaretts, about £7 worth of tobacco, and various other things, such as cocoa, etc." Assurances. complaints were made to the competent military authority, . assurances were [sometimes received in lieu of restitution or redress. The sworn statement of Mrs. George O'Grady, of Roehestown, Co. Cork, told of a raid on her home by police and military, March 20. 1920. She kept poultry and her Reason's egg. money, £O3. was all taken. Her husband deposed that he complained to Sir Hamar Greenwood, to the General Officer Commanding in Cork, and to General Maoready fbout the robbery and received'assurances from all three that, nothing had .been touched in the house. *:■ ~ And sometimes to the value of such assurances another raid was added.* Timothy Horgah, of Cork, sent a sworn statement of a raid on his barber" shop by the military,

August 29, 1920. All his razors were stolen, money equivalent to $lB and -other articles to a total value of $290. In reply to his complaint to the military commander, he Teceived the written assurance of an Imperial British Staff Captain that nothing had been taken. His home was then raided on September 13 and jewellery and other articles stolen. Robbing Prisoners with Violence. —A not uncommon form of robbery was practised on men assaulted and dragged from their homes during raids. A typical instance of this was described by Miss Craven, of Washington, D.C. Miss Craven was visiting her parents at Headford, Co. Galway, when "Black-and-Tans raided the house at noon on Sep- ' tember 17, 1920, and dragged away her younger brother, who was not connected with the Sinn Fein organisation/ though an older boy was a Volunteer. His parents found him on the road later, beaten and bruised, w>th two of his teeth knocked out. His watch and seventeen shillings had been stolen. During the raid some money a' d small gold pins were stolen in the house. Robbery.—The habit of looting and robbing the raided in their homes seems to have inculcated the practice of highway robbery. According to the testimony, it was an ordinary event in several cities, particularly Cork, for pedestrians to be held up and robbed on the streets by soldiers or police. Lord Mayor O'Callaghan testified that the "Black-and-Tans" were particular offenders in this respect: "Passing on the streets, these men challenge the passers-by and order them to hold up their hands while their pockets are gone through. In many cases all the contents of their pockets are stolen, any money especially." A sworn deposition of a typical highway robbery was presented to the Commission from John Creed, 56 Grattan Street, Cork. On the evening of December 10, 1920, he was held up by two men AA-earing light raincoats and soft felt hats —the ordinary mufti of the "Black-and-Tans." They carried revolvers, and pointing them at him they demanded "Hands up!" and searched him, taking nearly SIOO which he had on his person. The man who took the money had a decided English accent. Highway Robbery at Stated Hours. —Highway robbery would seem to have been part of the regular daily routine of some of the Imperial British forces. Harold Johnson, , American sailor on the steamship Westcannon, testified that the hold-ups in Cork would start about 3.30 in. the afternoon. He used to go out to watch them. Emil Pezolt, his shipmate, an American, testified that he was held up and beaten by "Black-and-Tans" on the evening of the big fire his watch, about S3O in money, and even his seaman's passport were stolen. Robbing Women. —John Charles Clarke, American, testified to seeing men in the R.I.C. uniform holding up women at the pistol's point and searching them on the streets of Cork. He saw these "police" pull rings off women's fingers, and he saw one of them tear the earrings from a woman's ears. One of the women thus held up was crying, and Mr. Clarke testified that the "policeman" pointed his gun at her, saying: "Shut up or I will give you the contents." Assaults on Women. Daniel J. Broderick, an American, told of a raid on the house of a Mrs. Hartnebt, at lAbbeyfeale. Her boy was in bed ill on the upper floor while the soldiers wrecked the lower storey and set the house on fire. Before leaving one of the soldiers struck Mrs. Hartnebt over the head with the butt of a rifle. Mr. Broderick saw the wound. It was three or four inches long. The testimony shows that women and girls have been searched by members of the Imperial British forces, the privacy of their bedrooms has been invaded in the dead of the night, and their hair cut off; but in no case has the crime of rape been specifically charged by Irish witnesses before us against the Imperial troops. The fact that for four years and a half an array of at least 78,000 British was occupying Ireland without provoking charges of major sensual offences against Irish women is remarkable. It would seem to us the only bright spot in the darkness of war. And it would appear the more remarkable when that army is proved to contain drunkards, highway robbers; gunmen, and petty thieves. It would seem, to your Commission that the credit for the sparing of Irish womanhood must be attributed at least in part to the officers commanding the Imperial British forces in Ireland. Only a drastic ordinance against ySexual crime could be powerful to restrain some of the criminals which that army demonstrably contains. It would seem a regrettable 'corollary ;to the credit we would like to extendi to the Imperial British High Command for controlling the sensual" licentiousness of its men, that Ave would need equally to hold it responsible for the crimes the men are permitted to indulge m, sometimes even in the presence, if not with the connivance, of subordinate officers.

Imperial British Officers The morals of the, British officer would appear to us to have suffered less than those of the rank and file.*,The officers seem more sober than the men. John Tangney, a former member of the R.1.C., testified that County Inspector Lowndes and the two young, military officers in charge of the party that raided Ballylorby "got stupidly drunk." But Mr. Dempsey testified thai; the officer at the sack of Mallow remained sober. The officers were also more honest. In one case testimony was adduced concerning a British major stealing £75. In many instances robberies were committed by troops under the command, of officers, and in some cases looting seemed to be specifically directed and controlled by officers. The testimony concerning this aspect of the British officers' behaviour is, however, too fragmentary to allow us justly to form gen-, era! conclusions. Assault on Hunchback by Three British Officers. —It was, however, clearly proved that in many cases the known sportsmanship of the British officer had become degraded by his "duties." "We have the deposition of Sean Murphy, of Brandon, concerning his interview with James Murphy, a. hunchback, who declares that three British officers beat him and attempted to hang him in a raid on his home at 5.30 a.m., November 10, 1920. In his deposition Sean Murphy states: "James Murphy is a little hunchback who resides with his sister, who is not very strong. I saw the shirt which he was wearing that morning. It was completely clotted with blood on the front and back. I also saw the piece of rope. He was in bed when I saw him, and his nose was very badly torn. He complained of pains in his head and back, and as a result of his treatment he is very nervous. T know James Murphy personally. He is a very quiet, in offensive man. " Torturing Prisoners. Lord Mayor O'Callaghan presented the written statement of Thomas Hale, of Knockscuvva, near Bandon. Co. Cork, who, with a man named Harte, was arrested July 7, 1920. Hale states: "When I was undressed they strapped my hands behind my back with leather straps, and 'put them around my neck and mouth. Harte was also strapped in a similar position. I was not in a position to defend myself, and Lieutenant A, hit me.several times in the face and on the body. Captain B. said: "You have some documents from the adjutant-general, per Michael Collins." They dressed me again,- tied my hands behind my back with leather straps, and also dressed Harte. Captain B. said: "You will be shot." They put straps around my legs as well as round Harte's legs." Eventually the two men' were tied together and marched to a lorry,, prodded by bayonets. Harte stated that he was hit in the nose by a gun-butt. They were taken to the barracks in Bandon and then assaulted several times. Harte had several teeth knocked out. They were lined up, as if to be shot, but were» beaten instead. In the course of trying to extract information from them about certain Republican leaders, Captain B. got a pair of pliers. Hale's statement continues: "Captain B. said: "What position does your brother John hold and where is he staying?" I said: "I refuse to give you any information about him." He then turned to the officer whom he sent for the pliers, and he started bending and twisting my fingers at the back. He gripped them at the back, placing one portion of the pincers against one side of my nail and the other portion of the pincers against the other. He brought the blood to the tops of several of my fingers, and for some time afterwards my fingers were black on the tops owing to congealed blood there. I was feeling extremely weak, almost fainting, and the blood was dropping down my legs. I was asked several questions about other individuals and about military matters, but refused to give any information. "Captain B. also put the pinchers on my thighs, but my senses were becoming quite numb. "Another officer, then untied my hands and told me to pull up my trousers. Captain B. said: 'The court is closed for the finding;.' He said: ' Stand up,' as my knees were somewhat bending, and Ave will see what a Tommy can do to.you.' I was hit several times in various parts of the body, but especially in the face, and he broke the four teeth in my upper jaw. I was then knocked down on the ground. I was absolutely exhausted and nearly fainted, and my senses were beginning to go. He hit me on several occasion while I was on the ground. After a few minutes, one of the officers said, ' That's enough.' I was then dragged up,, and led out of the room. My hands had not been re.tied since they had been'undone in order'